Nearing retirement shouldn’t be about completion, but about purpose. What will your legacy be?

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As you get closer to retirement, it’s natural to start thinking about what comes next. But before you say your goodbyes and walk out the door, pause to consider the legacy you want to leave behind. How do you want to be remembered by the people you worked with? What values, practices or achievements do you want to be known for? This is more than just being recognized for your contributions. It is about creating a sense of closure. It is how you can leave a lasting impact that is respected long after you’re gone. It is an opportunity to give back to those who have walked beside you, by imparting wisdom, values and practices that can guide the next generation. The last of your working days shouldn’t just be about completion, but about purpose.
Consider these six strategies to ensure your time in the organization leaves a lasting and positive impact:
Transfer your knowledge
Depending on how long you’ve been with your organization, you likely have a wealth of institutional knowledge you’re carrying around in your head. So take the time to document key processes and insights, and to educate younger colleagues. Develop (or add to) a shared repository where you document important processes, strategies and best practices. This could be an internal wiki, a collection of documents or video tutorials. Encourage all team members to contribute. Develop simple guides or checklists for tasks, processes or software you frequently use. Share these with colleagues, especially those new to the role, via a shared drive or team platform. Suggest or facilitate workshops where you share your expertise on specific topics with your team or informal peer learning sessions where team members can share their expertise on specific topics.
Ensure continuity
Collaborate with leadership to identify potential successors and create a formal succession plan that includes training. Consider a structured transition period where you gradually transfer responsibilities to your successor, providing support and guidance along the way. List your key responsibilities and tasks, and discuss with your manager or team how these can be distributed or managed after you leave. If you have staff that report to you, strengthen their leadership capabilities by encouraging collaborative decision-making and delegating more responsibilities.
Pass the torch on key projects
Carefully hand over ongoing projects to ensure they remain successful. Create detailed project documents that outline the goals, timelines with key milestones, stakeholders and critical success factors for any ongoing initiatives, ensuring a smooth transition to the next person. If you are able, meet with the person taking over to discuss the handover. Organize a meeting with relevant stakeholders to formally transfer your final projects, providing all necessary documentation and answering any questions.
Complete a capstone project
Identify a project that you can realistically complete before you leave, one that will have a positive impact on your team or department. Focus on something that aligns with your strengths or interests, and that you would be proud to have as a lasting testament to your career.
Be an ongoing mentor
Consider offering to stay on as a mentor or coach to emerging leaders even after retirement. Perhaps you can offer coaching sessions, either on a formal basis or informally as an advisor.
Contribute to industry and community
Join or continue to participate in local industry or professional groups where you can share your knowledge and network with peers. Write articles and give talks offering insights on trends, best practices and lessons learned in your area of expertise. If your company has a blog, you could contribute articles there as well. Participate in industry panels or conferences so you can continue to influence your field even after retirement. If you’ve been involved in any company-sponsored community initiatives, make sure to bring on a colleague who can continue the work, and give them any necessary background they will need to be successful.
As you think about your retirement, not all of these six strategies may resonate with you, or even apply to your specific situation. But find the ideas that align with your values, strengths and the contributions you’ve made during your career, and move forward with those. Whatever you choose, your actions now will help ensure your legacy endures long after you’ve left. Reflect on what matters most to you, and act now so that you leave a meaningful, lasting impact. Retire not just with a sense of completion, but with purpose and pride in what you’ve left behind.
Merge Gupta-Sunderji is a speaker, author, mentor to senior leaders, and the chief executive officer of the leadership development consultancy Turning Managers Into Leaders.